By Clay Lucas
The union representing Museums Victoria workers has demanded answers about hiring processes as the institution’s chief executive expressed disappointment at leaks to The Age about links between new hires and senior personnel.
The Age on Monday revealed that Museums Victoria had revised its hiring policies after anti-corruption agencies investigated whistleblower allegations it skirted public sector rules when it appointed staff who had personal connections with senior executives as part of a hiring surge during the Titanic exhibition.
The grand staircase at Melbourne Museum’s successful Titanic exhibition, held in late 2023 until April 2024.Credit: Tim Carrafa
In response, the Community and Public Sector Union wrote to Museums Victoria on Monday, demanding it explain its hiring processes, and whether staff were disadvantaged by it.
The union, which is negotiating a new pay deal, also demanded to see “the criteria or processes used to identify, assess and appoint candidates” during the Titanic exhibition held at Melbourne Museum, and asked whether any of the positions filled at this time “were later extended or converted to ongoing roles”.
The appointments were part of a recruitment drive during the blockbuster Titanic exhibition, which ran from December 2023 to April 2024 and was the museum’s most popular touring show since 2016.
The success of the exhibition prompted senior management to extend exhibition hours and argue that existing staff were too stretched – necessitating the urgent hiring of extra visitor engagement officers and retail assistants.
The roles were not publicly advertised, and no formal interviews were conducted. One former employee said retail and visitor officer jobs at the museum were highly sought after and often attracted hundreds of applications.
The hiring round recruited nine people in all – eight of whom had personal connections to senior staff, including some with links to the family of chief operating officer Sean Royal, who already had two daughters working at the museum.
The ombudsman found there was a case to answer, but dropped its investigation after the museum agreed to change its hiring policies.
The union also asked the institution to provide by Friday “a copy of the current recruitment and selection policy and procedure, including any changes adopted following the ombudsman’s investigation”.
Museums Victoria chief executive Lynley Crosswell has expressed disappointment at leaks to The Age.Credit: Penny Stephens
Museums Victoria chief executive Lynley Crosswell emailed staff on Monday morning to say she had “full confidence in our people, and have sought appropriate advice” about The Age’s reporting.
Crosswell defended Royal, and said the museum’s hands were tied in speaking out more aggressively in his defence.
“Our responses are constrained by public disclosure and privacy requirements, which limit what we can share publicly or internally,” she told staff.
At a meeting with museum staff on Monday morning, of which The Age has obtained a recording, Crosswell described the reporting as “extremely disappointing”.
“We have been expecting the article, and the board, the [Creative Industries] Minister [Colin Brooks’] office and Creative Victoria have also been fully briefed,” she said.
“While we have been and we are restricted in what we say, I have spoken with our board president, Mary Stewart, this morning, and I can say that Sean, the people and culture team and the leadership team all have full support of the organisation.”
Museums Victoria was contacted for comment.
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